The American 21st Century

National Review Online ^ | December 30, 2010 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Delacon]

ping

[The Duke]

Now tell me about the history of ‘takers’ to ‘makers’ in the US, and how that is not supposed to make any difference.

[onedoug]

Though we´ve never had an islamist president before, who´s entire administration seems
hell bent on destroying America with virtually every move it makes.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I’ll agree with VDH’s general thesis, but in the “it’s different this time” category, I am truly not sure if the US and all its “enduring values” (to summarize VDH in the article) can overcome the systematic, pervasive, and pernicious assaults they presently suffer, simultaneously attacked on so many fronts.

If indeed, again per VDH, the killer factor is the “strength of the people”, then I am again not sure da peeple have the guts to pull it off this time. Yes, the potential is there, always was always has been, probably is now. But da peeple are under attack from the institutions they used to rely on, benefit from, and revere. The “rule of law” has been turned on the people, and I believe has been twisted to the point where criminality is now considered sacrosanct as long as the amount of money is big enough. The US has always been such a rich store of wealth and resources, that it has always been able to withstand the petty looters, the parasites, and even the traitors within. This time? With the entire banking system bailed out via taxpayer funding for looting the system? Having already fostered the transfer of middle-class wealth creation offshore? With healthcare poised to weaken both the physical health and the economics of the American family and the individuals contained therein? With literally all governments, at every level, bankrupt and poised to raise taxes and constrict opportunity and economic freedom every chance they get?

I’ll not argue that the raw material resides right here in the US. That’s not to say that any and every force has its point of being overpowered. Just where that is is what I wonder about.

When does it get to the point that the rational man cannot help but see the imminent demise of the state that once encouraged his properity but now attacks it; and cannot overcome his own survival instincts and thus switches from patriotism to self-survival?

[KC_Lion]

But we are fighting back, I do believe the saying that, Its only over when people don't care anymore, If the Tea Party has shown anything its that People STILL care about their country, regardless of Obama, Van Jones, or the Parasitic Democrat Voters

[qam1]

Demographics are much different this time. Instead of immigrants who want to assimilate, we instead have hyphenated Americans in which ethic pride/tribalism trumps all and things like freedom, liberty and the Constitution are just meaningless words.

[Delacon]

What KC_Lion just said in #6.

[KC_Lion]

Thanks! Even I get down and out sometimes, when I think about the Manufacturing base and what not, BUT what the Tea Party has done now, is put America back on course, Obama and His Cronies have already Lost, they just don't know it yet. Soros, Obama, Van Jones all have the Uber-Complex plans and schemes, The Tea Party, Nay we Americans have a plan too, and it is much simpler, strip them of their power, and get them out of our lives.

The under reported story of November 2nd, is the flip of the 700 State Legislatures, once the states fight back against the Federal Government, we will become more free once again.

[Jacquerie]

Among other things, the Tea Party movement fights for less government spending, a phenomena not seen elsewhere in the world. Yes, there is hope.

[PGR88]

I agree with VDH that China, for example, has little to offer the world outside of its borders, except cheap goods. Russia will always be focused just on Russia’s interests, etc...

BUT - America has no God-given right to world leadership and prosperity. Remain a free and moral nation, and the USA will be granted leadership over others - but let our Gov’t and the citizens of this country accept laziness, collectivism, tyranny and corruption - and it will, over time, turn us into just another sclerotic and declining country like those in South America or Europe.

[OldPossum]

Thanks for such a thougtful, substantive comment.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

“BUT - America has no God-given right to world leadership and prosperity. Remain a free and moral nation, and the USA will be granted leadership over others”

I’m going to have to ponder the assertion you made in sentence #2, esp in light of sentence #1. I think I have to doubt that.

If we don’t have any God-given right, then it’s probably not going to be a sense of morality and freedom that’s going to guarantee much of anything for us. We’re going to have to go to war, kill, and seize what it is that might support our standard of living. Or settle for a lot less.

During prior periods when we have gone through immensely challenging times, (GD1, WW2) my sense is that the US had a far greater depth and degree of advantage over others in terms of 1: Nationalistic sprit 2: natural resources 3: financial resources than we do now.

Now? We have a financial “rival” and potential military adversary in China whom we have largely financed and will certainly continue to. We are not especially at war with the ChiComs but we are not especially at peace with them.

We have a permanent intractable adversary in the form of radical Islam. Again, we finance them and we coddle them; in terms of the destructive technology they have absorbed, they have ceased being 9th century desert barbarians. (They still retain that perspective in all other respects) But my point is that they are a permanent enemy.

So when I total up the depletion in our overall resources PLUS the idea that we have a full-on enemy (or two) looking to damage us, I wonder if only say 70% of what the US had available to it remains available to generate our internal prosperity.

And now I add in the idea that traitoriousness is now a virtue, that roughly half of our elected leaders are looking to deteriorate our overall living standards, to shove the country back 70 years in technoogical status, and I wonder again, what’s left? (no pun intended) To scatter our wealth among low-wage intruders from Mexico to no end other than to achieve their own re-election, and to permanently disable our own poorer citizens from seeking any level of aspiration beyond...[insert blatantly racist charactierization here] and what do we have to work with?

Meanwhile, it’s corny to be patriotic, we’ve placed our energy resources out of our own reach and looted much of our savings to prop up the banksters.

I ask again, when does the guy holding onto the rail of the sinking ship heed his own internal “abandon ship” voice?

[familyop]

Dumb Cheerleaders trick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pno7TVVcZdM

[Mike Darancette]

They say that the Euro, the Yen, the Yuan or some “basket” containing all the above will become the currency of world commerce replacing the tired old Dollar. The only problem is that none of those have the full faith and backing of the people of the United States.

One international hiccup and they would come tumbling back to the Dollar.

[familyop]

"And now I add in the idea that traitoriousness is now a virtue, that roughly half of our elected leaders are looking to deteriorate our overall living standards, to shove the country back 70 years in technoogical status, and I wonder again, what’s left? (no pun intended)"

I'll go a little further to say that nearly all of the few most influential constituents behind their chosen, nominated and elected leaders are doing the same. They'll do all that they can to increase debt in order to extend their regime, but eventual repudiation of the debt is a certainty. Their broadcasts deserve no more than ridicule from now until then.

[mrsmith]

“national strength is still measured by the underlying hardiness of the patient — its demography, culture, and institutions “

Uh, David, that’s just where we’re hurting like we never have before.

[neverdem]

Happy New Year!

[Antoninus]

Nice try, Vic. The problem we face today is unprecedented in our history, however. Our Republic is being strangled by hundreds of thousands of unelected, barely accountable government officials in federal and state bureaucracies. These people are unionized, drain the treasury with huge salaries and pensions and are practically immune to restraint from elected officials.

At some point, the unelected bureaucracy acquired enough power to run things almost independently of our elected representatives. Until these people are reigned in, nothing will change. Indeed, things will keep getting worse.

[neverdem]

The under reported story of November 2nd, is the flip of the 700 State Legislatures, once the states fight back against the Federal Government, we will become more free once again.

GOP Makes Historic State Legislative Gains in 2010

By adding over 720 legislative seats to their column in the past two years, Republicans easily cleared the 1994 expectations bar.

There are 99 state legislatures. Every state has two except Nebraska which has a unicameral legislature, i.e. a single house, IIRC.

Republicans now control the entire legislature in 25 states, 11 more than they had going in to the 2010 elections...